A Version: In 2003 the Turkish citizen Mehmet whose real name is Ruslan Saidov, persuaded the President of the Chechen Republic, Ahmed Kadyrov, that he could be of use with Kadyrov’s policy of “national reconciliation.” Saidov took part in organizing Kadyrov’s visit to Saudi Arabia. There Kadyrov made an agreement with the head of Saudi intelligence, Prince Naif Ibn Abdel-Aziz, that the Arab militants under the Lieutenant Colonel Aziz ben Said ben Ali al Hamdi (alias Abu al Valid al-Hamadi), Prince Naif’s subordinate, would be removed from Chechnya by May 2004. The agreement stipulated that Kadyrov guaranteed safe passage to Abu al-Valid. Playing a double game and intending to set up both parties, Saidov (probably together with Abu al-Valid himself) gave this information to the CIA. Apparently the CIA was concerned that having left Chechnya the Arab militants would resurface in Iraq and join the terrorist group of the Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarkawi that belongs to the al-Qaida network.

Trying to prevent this, and besides, wanting to discredit Kadyrov in the eyes of Prince Naif, the CIA gave Saidov an “assignment”. On April 13 in the Nozhai-Yurt district of Chechnya, Russian troops killed Abu al-Valid (or alleged having done so). Saidov paid $300,000 to those who carried out this operation. Their bosses in Moscow received $500,000. How much the CIA paid Saidov is unknown. It appears that Prince Naif interpreted the news about al-Walid’s liquidation as a breach of the agreement on the part of Kadyrov. On May 9 the President of Chechnya was killed. The assassination was apparently carried out by the agents of one of Russia’s special services who were “bought” by the officer of the Jordanian secret services “Muhabarat al-Amma” Abu Hafs al-Urdani (Adzhet), and the commander of Arab terrorists who replaced Abu al-Walid. The middleman in this transaction was Hairulla [the nickname of Sulejman Imurzaev, one of Basaev’s “field commanders,” accused by Ramzan Kadyrov in organizing the assassination of his father, Chechen President Ahmad Kadyrov] 2

Abu Hafs is connected with Mohamed al-Islambuli, the elder brother of Haled al-Islambuli, killer of the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, venerated in Islamist circles. In his turn Mohamed al-Islambuli is linked with a "Doctor" Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama ben-Laden's "right hand."

***

Supplement 1. Extract from the report on Ruslan Shamilyevich Saidov.

Born 1960, city of Khasavyurt, Dagestan. Speaks Russian, Chechen, Avar, English, Arabic and Turkish fluently. Resides in Dubai and Istanbul. In Dubai he does business with the Dubai Islamic Bank and Habib Bank. 3 Has Turkish passport

in the name of Mehmet.

Biographical data:

1983-93-army service.

1992-93: Saidov, using the cover name Hungar [possibly the first name in his Turkish passport], took part in military operations in Abkhazia, along with Gary Aiba and Shamil Basaev.

November 1993: retired from the army and placed on reserve.

In May-June 1994, Saidov together with Usman Imaev and Khozh-Ahmed Nukhaev 4 [Nukhaev is wanted by the Prosecutor General’s Office for the assassination of Paul Khlebnikov], and under an agreement with Pavel Grachev and Dzhohar Dudaev, organized twenty-two flights to airlift arms and ammunition via the Chechen airport Sheikh Mansur to the airport Aden in Yemen.

In the spring of 1995 Saidov began to cooperate with the organized [criminal] society, led by Vladimir Filin and Alexei Likhvintsev (see below) in handling [narco] traffic through the port of Novorossiysk.

Since August 1995 Saidov resides in Turkey.

In December 1995 he published an extremist book in Turkish The Muslims of the Caucasus in the 19th century: Genocide by Russia. 5 The leader of the Welfare Party and the future Turkish Prime Minister, Necmettin Erbakan, gave a good review of this book. In July 1996 Saidov became his adviser.

In December 1996 Ayman Zawahiri was arrested in Dagestan for illegal entry. He carried a false Sudanese passport. When he was arrested Saidov went to Makhachkala [the capital of Dagestan]. There he organized a petition to the authorities in support of Zawahiri. It was signed by twenty-six Muslim clergymen and the Russian State Duma deputy, Nadirshakh Khachilaev. Saidov managed to obtain a court decision, condemning Zawahiri to a six-month prison term, which had actually expired by that time.

According to intelligence data, in the fall of 1997, Saidov arrived in Chechnya and joined Basaev and Khattab. Served as special operations instructor in the training center Said ibn-Abu-Wakas near Serzhen-Yurt. In August 1999 he fought with the armed formations invading Dagestan. He was seriously wounded in the head. In September 1999 he was transported to Turkey and then to Switzerland for medical treatment.

Since the middle of the nineties, Saidov formed stable relations with the Saudi businessman Adnan Hashoggi, Prince Turki al-Faisal (then head of the Saudi intelligence and at present, Saudi Ambassador to Great Britain) and Prince Naif. At the time of the terrorist act in the Moscow theater in Dubrovka in October 2002, Saidov and Prince Turki were in Moscow together. Earlier, in July-September of 2002, Saidov visited Moscow three times. He met with Ruslan Elmurzaev (Abu-Bakar), including in the office of Prima-Bank. 6

In September 2003, Saidov participated in the congress of the extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami in Jordan. At this congress he announced that Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami was an organization effectively acting in the underground throughout Russia, Central Asia and the Crimea.

In 2003 Saidov established relations with the Chechen President Ahmed Kadyrov and organized Kadyrov's visit to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with Prince Naif. After the liquidation (or pretended liquidation?) of Abu al-Valid in April 2004, Saidov and Kadyrov parted. Their last meeting took place in Moscow on May 7, two days before Kadyrov's assassination. According to witnesses they had an extremely tense conversation.

On August 16, 2004, Saidov arrived in Moscow from Istanbul and met with Ruslan Aushev, and Mikhail and Khamzat Gutseriev. [Mikhail Gutseriev: president of “Slavneft” oil company. Mentioned in Sergei Petrov’s interview as one of the participants in the deal between oligarchic groups and CPRF. His brother, Khamzat Gutseriev, former internal minister of Ingush Republic, Aushev associate] On August 20 he arrived in Nazran. On September 4 (immediately after the terrorist act in Beslan) he left for Baku and from there to Turkey.

In 2001-4, Saidov frequently visited Abkhazia. His contact there was Gary Aiba, former mayor of Sukhumi, and the leader of “Amtsakhara,” the oppositional political movement of the veterans of the Georgian-Abkhaz war. On June 9, 2004 while driving in Sukhumi, Aiba was killed by machine gun fire and Saidov switched to the circle of Sergei Bagapsh. [At the time Bagapsh was a presidential candidate] From October 1 to December 5, Saidov lived in Sukhumi incognito, advising the opposition leaders. His goal was the violent change of power in Abkhazia and the destabilization of the adjacent regions of Russia.

On December 4, 2004 the Russian presidential administration demanded from Saidov that he stop his anti-Russian activities and immediately leave Abkhazia. After that a compromise between Bagapsh and Raul Hadzhimba was reached.

On December 8, 2004 Saidov addressed Muslim youth in Moscow. In his words, "following Ukraine, the Orange Revolution is coming to Russia." "Our liberals say that in 2008 the situation in Moscow will be like the one in Kiev. " However, everything will be different, and not in 2008, but earlier." "Amirs and mudjahideen will soon make the Kremlin shudder with horror." In 2005, "they will throw into hell the servant of Satan," i.e., President Putin, who is allegedly "wanted by the International Tribunal at The Hague."

Supplement 2. Excerpt from the memo concerning the organized society led by Vladimir Filin and Alexei Likhvintsev.

In 1990-93 both men lived in Eastern Germany and were involved in selling off the property of the Western Army Group. Their partners were companies controlled by Kosovo Albanian criminal societies.

In November 1993 they were both retired from the military. The retirement was forced. They were suspected in financing the nationalist Ukrainian organization UNA-UNCO.

Presently, Filin resides in Switzerland, Likhvintsev in Great Britain. Both have British citizenship.

Officially, Filin and Likhvintsev invest in construction and tourist business in Arab Emirates and do business in Colombia, where Filin has extensive contacts since his stay there in 1986-88.

Both men preserve their contacts in Russian Ministry of Defense. Previously they were connected with Pavel Grachev [Minister of Defense under Yeltsin], later with Anatoly Kvashnin [ Chief of the General Stuff under Yeltsin and Putin, now retired]

Filin and Likhvintsev do business with foreign private military companies (PMCs):

Their cooperation with these companies began in the end of 1994 in Angola on the initiative of Victor Bout, who was involved in the shipments of Soviet-made arms to the anti-government group UNITA in exchange to raw diamonds. Apparently, Bout became interested in Likhvintsev's contacts (L. worked in Angola in 1986-87). Later, in October of 1998, Filin, Likhvintsev's wife Liudmila Rozkina (b. 1966) and Anton Surikov (at that time he worked in the Russian government) established the company Far West Ltd., with the office in Lausanne, which officially does security consulting for business ventures in countries with unstable regimes. De facto, this is a legalized form of recruiting mercenaries for PMCs.

Partners and Members

Alfonso Davidovich - (1948), Venezuelan, lives in Munich. Has German and Venezuelan citizenship.

Speaks Spanish, English, French, German, and Russian fluently. In the 1970s went through special training in the USSR (Privol'noe, Nikolaevskaya oblast) and East Germany.

Owns companies and banks in Barbados, the Caymans and other off-shores.

Has friendly relations with Hugo Chavez, and is acquainted with Fidel Castro, Marcus Wolf and Adnan Hashoggi. Has many contacts in Colombia, including FARC.

In 1999 Davidovich was alleged to have engaged in arms trafficking for guerrillas in Chiapas, Mexico and in money laundering for the Colombian drug mafia.

Involved in real estate operations and banking. Has contacts with Kosovo Albanian criminal societies in European countries. In 1997-2000 he served as financial consultant to Hashim Tachi, the chief commander of KLA.”

Valery Nikolaevich Lunev (b. 1960), resides in the Netherlands, has Dutch citizenship. Married to Dzhokhar Dudaev's relative Fatima (b. 1970). Retired from the military in March of 1995.

Lunev is responsible for security and "strong arm operations". For his operations he hires the former and active duty officers of Russian secret services, including spetsnaz

In 1990-91 Lunev took part in overthrowing the regime of Zviad Gamsahurdia in Georgia.

Has extensive contacts in Tajikistan. Has the native-like command of the Tajik and Afghan (Pushtu) languages, as well as Russian, Belorussia, English, and Dutch. During the civil war in Tajikistan cooperated with Sandak Safarov. 7

Anton Victorovich Surikov (b. 1961). Presents himself as political scientists. Responsible for informational and political projects. Actively publishes in press. Some of his publications resemble ciphered directives to the elements in Russian special services disloyal to President Vladimir Putin. His other articles contain political messages intended for abroad.

Surikov has contacts with Fritz Ermarth, former leading CIA analyst of the USSR and Russia, now in Nixon Foundation. Has contacts in the Near Volga Region (Tatarstan, Udmurtia) and in the Caucasus. In 1992-93 Surikov often visited Abkhazia, where, together with Saidov, he--under the nom de guerre Mansur--worked in coordination with Gary Aiba and Shamil Basaev.

Retired in September 1996. In 1996-2002 occupied high posts in the apparatus of Federal government and the State Duma. Presently, officially is a businessman [Executive Director of the Association of Russian Poultry Market Operators].

Surikov has close relations with Alexander Prokhanov and Alexander Nagorny [respectively, chief editor and assistant chief editor of newspaper "Zavtra"], Anatoly Baranov [chief editor of Pravda.info and KPRF.ru], Mikhail Delyagin, former adviser to Mikhail Kasyanov [Delyagin--founder and Chair of IPROG Board and the Institute’s director till April 2002 when he was replaced by Boris Kagarlitsky], Alexei Kondaurov (head of YUKOS security department, former general of KGB and FSB, State Duma deputy from CPRF), Ilya Ponomarev (former YUKOS CEO, CPRF).

In 2002-03, together with Kondaurov--who represented Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Leonid Nevzlin--Surikov, with the help of Victor Vidmanov, organized financing of CPRF by YUKOS shareholders and the individuals associated with OPS [the organized criminal society] (Yakov Kosman, Nikolai Lugovskoi) to the tune of $15 million.

On December 13 2004, in Adygeia, Surikov had a meeting with a group of Sufi believers and said this: “In the past we were against ahl-ad-dalala (those who gone astray) with their Arab money. We used to say that one should not separate from Russia. But now “Russia is on the brink of collapse and chaos.” So “we’ll be separating [from Russia] with all Muslims of the Caucasus.” A new state will be created on our historical lands from Psou and the Black See to Laba and Kuban.”

5. Leonid Leonidovich Kosyakov, b. 1955, Ukrainian citizen. Until 2005 resided in Arab Emirates and Switzerland. Citizen of Ukraine. Retired from the service in May 1993. Presently the president of Far West Ltd.

In 1983-85 Kosyakov was in command of a special group in Shindand (Afghanistan), assigned to intercept caravans with drugs. In different times under his direct command served Filin, Lunev, Likhvintsev, Surikov, Petrov, as well as Saidov.

II. On accusations in drug trafficking

These accusations were made by the former officer of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine Sergei Petrov (alias Serge Rodin, French citizen). 8

According to his testimony:

“The OPS [organized criminal society] was involved in drug trafficking since the beginning of 1990s:

-from 1995 the OPS transports heroin (produced in Afghanistan) from Tajikistan to European countries via Russia with the assistance of Russian Defense Ministry.

- from 2000 the OPS is involved in smuggling Colombian cocaine to Russia through the seaports of Novorossiysk and St. Petersburg under the disguise of import shipments from Latin America.

Among the OPS contacts in Novorossyisk is Saidov; in St. Petersburg it used to be Roman Tsepov. 9

Received profits are used for personal enrichment of the OPS leaders, the officials at the Ministry of Defense who provide them with “the roof” [protection], and for financing extremist activities.”

In November of 2003, Rodin contacted the law enforcement agencies of Germany and France. Their investigation did not result in any [legal] actions against Filin, Likhvintsev, and their partners.

In January 2004, Rodin was blown up in his car in South Africa.

In the press, Surikov and Baranov explained Rodin’s allegations by his assumed mental problems. But in the past, they also used mass media for allegations in drug trafficking against their competitors (Makhmadsaid Ubaidolluev, Gafur Mirzoyev-“the Gray-Haired,” Aslan Abashidze, Soso Gogitidze and others). 10

III. On the activities in the interests of foreign secret services.

1. During November 22-December 7, Filin and Likhvintsev were in Ukraine where, in coordination with the U. S. Embassy, they took part in the negotiations between Victor Pinchuk and the leadership of the army, police, and secret services. 11

2. In 2003-2004, Filin and Likhvintsev worked on the Georgian project, financed by KBR Halliburton, apparently, with the approval of the CIA. The project had the goal of weakening the competitors of Halliburton in oil business and, in a broader context, of facilitating the geopolitical objectives of the United States in the Caucasus. The OPS man in Georgia is Audrius Butkevicius, former Lithuanian minister of defense, presently adviser to Badri Patarkatsishvili. 12

3. In the summer of 2004 [the OPS] started a project in the Near-Volgian Federal District to train cadres for Volga-Urals chapter of the international extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahir, banned by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in 2003. The project is financed by private philanthropic foundations of the Arabic Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

The course of instruction includes:

-forms and methods of operative work by secret services;

-theory and practice of local armed conflicts;

-security of oil and gas pipelines;

-informational warfare in mass media.

Instruction and training were provided for a fee by former and active officers of Russian special services who had experience in local armed conflicts, faculty members from military colleges, specialists in the security of pipeline transportation and propaganda.

Примечания

2
The information about Saidov’s dealings with Kadyrov is indirectly supported by the following account of the “agreement” between the Kremlin and the organized criminal society, which allegedly includes Saidov and is led by Vladimir Filin (“Vova Filin”) and Alexei Likhvintsev (“Pribalt”):“According to a source close to Victor Cherkesov [the head of State Committee for Controlling Drug Trafficking], there exist a powerful military criminal organization that since 1992 has been controlling significant drug trafficking from Afghanistan to Russia and Europe, is involved in money laundering and actively interferes in Russian politics… The criminal society is led by the former intelligence officers and Safghan veterans, now narco barons Vova Filin and Lyosha Pribalt [Alexei Likhvintsev]… Filin and Pribalt literally flooded Russia with heroin. The Kremlin could not tolerate this abomination any longer and ordered a mighty “Chekist raid” [i.e., order the FSB to shut down the operation] against the narco barons. However, it is rumored that the raid has ended up with the agreement that the latter would 1) share their profits; 2) help in facilitating peaceful referendum on Chechen constitution; 3) bring some order to the drug market by liquidating the leaders of ethnic criminal groups.” (emphasis added). “Geroinovyi tur.” By Nikita Kaledin. Stringer-news, November 4, 2003: http://www.stringer-news.ru/Publication.mhtml?PubID=2448&Part=39

9
Roman Tsepov, president of the Baltik-Eskort security company, died under suspicious circumstances in September 2004. http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2004-38-14Recently, Vladimir Filin acknowledged Tsepov’s ties with Far West Ltd. Far West Ltd. “is no longer interested in Russian seaports. Ukraine is now more attractive to us than Novorossiysk. As to St. Petersburg, we never worked there, only our partners in the international trade do. They were brought in by the now late Sergei Tarasovich Petrov and Roman Igorevich Tsepov.”See “Vladimir Filin: The Representation of Far West Ltd in Udmurtia has been Closed,” Pravda-info, 09.06.2005: http://www.pravda.info/news/3628.html

10
Makhmadsaid Ubaidolluev is the Chairman of Majlisi Milli Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan.Gafur Mirzoyev-“the Gray-Haired”. One of the closest associates of Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov and the former head of the Presidential Guard, General Gafur Mirzoev was arrested in August 2004. At the time of his arrest Mirzoyev was the head of Tajik Drug Control Agency http://www.nobf.ru/engl/news/news_archive_04.htmlAslan Abashidze, a former president of Adzharia, Georgia’s autonomous republic. He was ousted and fled to Moscow after the “revolution of roses” in Tbilisi, 2003. Soso Gogitidze, Adjar Security Minister under Abashidze.